Why Regular Beer Line Cleaning Is Key To A Restaurant's Success

If you are a restaurant owner, you already know that there is more to serving a crisp, fresh-tasting draft beer than simply pulling a handle and letting the beer flow. Restaurant owners should clean beer linesevery two weeks to ensure a great-tasting product, minimize waste, and keep equipment running smoothly. Here is why regular beer line cleaning will help your customers stay happy.

Preserve Taste Did you know that anaerobic and aerobic micro-organisms can flourish in your beer line? Remember that beer contains more than just alcohol and carbon dioxide; this frothy beverage also naturally contains yeast. Unfortunately, bacteria can easily build up in your beer line, and these microbes dramatically change the flavor of pilsners, lagers, and ales alike. In fact, bacteria can ruin beer’s flavor and aroma, causing unpleasant buttery, sour, or vinegar-like flavors.

Minimize Loss Fortunately, these invisible beer bacteria won’t make you or your customers sick. But although these microorganisms are not health risks for humans, bar patrons may simply choose to stop drinking your beer, especially if they order a light lager or wheat beer with a subtle taste profile. Over time, these flavors will be detected in all your beers on tap, and bar patrons may complain, ask for refunds, or even elect to drink elsewhere.

Maintain Equipment Did you know that just days after you install a brand new beer line system, minerals will begin to build up on all contact surfaces? Without proper cleaning, these deposits can actually undermine even new equipment’s capacity to dispense quality beer. Even if you don’t clean your own beer lines, you can easily check for excess mineral buildup by using a straw to scrape the inside of your faucets and checking keg coolers for visible buildup.

For more tips on how to maintain your restaurant supplies and equipment, contact the restaurant design, IT, and supply professionals at CuliQuip. Headquartered near Baltimore, our team delivers restaurant supplies and hospitality services to establishments in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. For more information, call us today at (240) 489-2588.